


Fatherly Ties

by TheAngelofFate



Series: stories of what I would want to happen in upcoming episodes compared to what will actually happen in them [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Titans (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Batfamily, Brotherly Love, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, DaddyBats, Dick and Jason need a hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hugs, No Slash, lots of hugs, s02e7 Jericho spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-03 14:06:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21180683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAngelofFate/pseuds/TheAngelofFate
Summary: It wasn't that Bruce never got an SOS signal before, he's gotten them plenty from the League multiple times. Because even though they were all heroes, they still needed back up once in a while. So yes, he's received them before, just not from Dick.(aka, another drabble of what I would want to happen in upcoming episodes compared to what will actually happen in them)





	Fatherly Ties

**Author's Note:**

> In light of the recent episode of Titans (which i embarrassingly forgot about until a couple hours ago) I've decided to write yet another fic for Titans, having this be a sequel to my other story with some elements and canonical truths from episode of Jericho. And since we haven't seen that much of Bruce Wayne in this series, I thought I'd rectify that by making this fic about him.

It wasn't that he was not excepting Dick to show up back home. No, the kid had contacted him ahead of time via a quick text from an unknown number that he knew belonged to Dick; _SOS, we'll be there in two hours._

Warning bells went off in Bruce's mind, because in their line of work an SOS meant either trouble. Because his eldest was like him; stubborn, hard headed, kept people at a distant. It was one of the many things they had in common despite Dick always denying it. So an _SOS_ from Dick meant that _he _was in trouble, big enough trouble that required Batman's help, and considering that neither of them were the type of people to ask help even when the circumstances were dire, Bruce deduced that something _bad_ must have happened.

So _no_, it wasn't that he wasn't expecting Dick to show up, but what _did_ catch him off guard was Dick showing up with not only his _entire_ team but with his entire former teammates as well. Dawn and Hank came out of the car together, followed by Donna Troy.

Bruce watched them for a moment, calculating the last he had heard from them and wondered silently why they were now here, when they had lives of their own. 

He watched Hank open the trunk of the Honda and dragged out a young female with sliver hair and an eye patch. His eyes flickered to Koriand'r, as the Tamaranian helped a boy wearing a black T-shirt with Clark's symbol out of the car. Narrowing his eyes, he noticed that the kid looked a _hell_ of a lot like Clark. 

_Clark, you better have an explanation for this or Lois is gonna slap you, broken hand or no. _

But that's not the moment which surprised him, _no_ that moment was specifically reserved when Dick opened the door to the Honda and Bruce's eyes _immediately_ found Jason, asleep in Dick's arms.

_That's _what caught Bruce off guard, because Jason wasn't the type for physical affection, he was at that age where he thought comfort meant that he was weak, even though the kid was obviously touch starved. Jason rebelled against comforting touches, despite the fact that he wanted them desperately. It would seem that his second son had been through the wringer recently enough to finally break down those walls and cling to the first person to offer him comfort.

Making a mental note to look into Jason's state of mind later, once everyone had settled down, Bruce made his way forward, Alfred waiting by the entrance.

It didn't take long for Dick's eyes to catch sight of him. And despite being fully awake, Bruce had never seen Dick more tired then how he was the moment they laid eyes on one another. Despite this though, Bruce let a smile grace his face as he leaned against the Honda, his elbow pressed firmly to the roof. Dick returned the smile, and gently nudged Jason awake. "Hey, we're here, buddy,"

So Dick had given Jason a nickname? In Alfred's book he'd call that _progress_, considering how before Dick and Jason had been a metaphorical cavern between them and their relationship. Bruce watched as Jason groaned in his sleep, then his eyes fluttered open and then widened a few seconds later. Jason cried out his name and shot out of the car and into Bruce’s arms like a bat out of hell, almost knocking Bruce to the ground in a crushing hug, if his instinct hadn't kicked in right in the last second.

The Dark Knight let out a chuckle and returned the kid's embrace, tightly holding Jason to his chest, knowing that right now, Jason needed the comfort. Bruce casted his eyes to Dick, who's dark circles looked more prominent then before, gently, he reached out and ruffled his eldest' hair. In a low, soft voice he asked what they needed, even though he already knew the answer.

Dick let out a teasing hum of thought, and then simply asked for a place to stay. Something that Bruce would never hesitant to give. Because how could he deny the very boys he had raised? How could he say no to family? His door will always be open. So with a smile on his face, he gestured them inside the Manor.

And Alfred, with grace and profession, greeted them all with a bow and a smile on his face once they got to the wide oak doors. "A gracious day to you all." The butler said, the wrinkles on his face showed how happy he was to have company that wasn't Bruce. He then turned to Dick and Jason who was still had his arms and legs wrapped around Bruce's waist and chest. "Master Grayson? Master Jason? Welcome home, sirs."

The manor hadn't changed since either of his kids left, other then a few new trinkets and paintings, his parents home had stayed exactly the same. Knowing that Alfred had this handled, Bruce excused himself, he walked up stairs and gestured Dick to follow him. In the back of his mind he realized that this was the first time that both his kids were home, simultaneously. They walked in silence for a few minutes, then Dick broke it by saying, "He's really clinging to you, isn't he?"

Bruce hummed softly, "It would seem so." He paused long enough to pat the kid on the back. "Though I have to wonder how he got like this." Dick stayed silent at this, his eyes downcast to the floor as they walked. "That is, if you would you be willing to tell me?"

Dick shifted on his feet, moved further away from Bruce, something the boy use to do as a child, a way of keep himself at a distance. Looks like some thing never changed no matter how long someone got. "It's a long story."

"Ah, yes. I've heard that before." Bruce nodded, for he had heard that all before. He lost how many times he's said the same thing to Clark and Diana. During the many times, where they could see through his facade because he either was too tired to care or when everything became too much.

"It's complicated." His eldest added, placing his hands in his pockets.

"Heard that before too." Because he had, in his line of work he had heard both statements from himself and from others too. They stopped outsides Jason's room, which confidently right a crossed from Dicks. "How about I go put this lad to bed, and then you and I can talk after, huh?"

Dick let out a sigh, then nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Bruce watched Dick walk away, turned and disappeared around the corner. Letting out a sigh of his own, the Dark Knight easily opened Jason's door to his room and walked inside. Moving towards the bed, Bruce bent down to gently place Jason onto the mattress, or at least tried too, it seemed that Jason was refusing to let go of Bruce's neck and only tightened his hold that much more. "_Bruce_..." Jason sniffed out, his voice hoarse and obvious indicator that he had been crying before he and Dick had arrived here. "Dad."

"Shh, it's alright." Bruce soothed gently, as he untangled Jason's hands from his neck and laid the boy on his bed. Thankfully Jason didn't put up that much of a fight after that, he tried to sit up and hug the older man again but Bruce just pushed him back down. "I'm here, lad, it's okay." Running a hand through the kid's short hair he stood from the bed, covering the boy up with the sheets Alfred provided. "Sleep, Jay. You look like you need it."

"Phck you, dad." Jason mumbled into his arm.

Bruce chuckled, "Careful, or Alfred will add another dollar to the swear jar."

Jason scoffed, rolling over to his side, eyes already closed. "_Brusse_?"

"Hm?"

"I missed you."

"Missed you too, lad."

Moving out into the hallway, Bruce closed the door behind him and walked in the direction that Dick took. It didn't surprise him in the least that he found Dick in his study. He watched Dick, whom was standing underneath the portrait of his parents, starring into the flames of the fire that illuminated the entire room, his eyes unblinking. Quietly, he moved forward and stood next to Dick, remaining silent. It was painfully obvious that Dick was troubled by something, but he knew better then to push. Pushing his eldest now would only result with another incident like last time, where Dick angrily walked away from him and cut ties with Gotham. He'd just gotten him back after years of thinking he never would again, he wasn't gonna ruin that just because he was impatient. Instead he asked, "I know better then to ask if you're alright."

Dick blinked finally, closing his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. "I'm not."

"Neither is Jason?"

The former Robin sighed loudly, "_Especially_ Jason." That didn't answer any of Bruce's questions but he at least was starting understand what was happening. Folding his hands behind his back, starring up at his parents portrait, he waited. Waited for Dick to explain, and soon three minutes later, he did. "I fucked up." Tearing his eyes away from his parents, Bruce looked at his eldest. "You remember what happened five years ago? Why the Titans disbanded?"

Yes, he did. While he didn't understand everything, seeing as Dick never delved into the specifics as their falling out had been days after the Titans break up, but he knew the basics. "If I recall correctly, Deathstroke had been the cause."

Dick nodded, his shoulders tensing up. "He's back again. Jason's comment of the news must have tipped him off and now he's back again, to finish what we started five years ago." He paused to intake a shuddered breathe of air, "What _I_ started but never finished because I'm a coward."

"Son." His voice gentle and calm, grounded to reality, because that's what Dick needed right now, stability. Placing a sturdy hand on the younger man's shoulder, he spoke. "I can't stand here and say that your actions were just, but you were grieving the loss of a friend, no one thinks rationally in situations like that." He gave the kid's shoulder a comforting squeeze, "None of this is your fault."

Apparently that's not what Dick wanted to hear, for his wrenched himself away from Bruce's touch and looked at him, his eyes blazing with so many different emotions. "How can you say that? After what I did— What I did to him."

_Ah, so that's what this was about._ Seems the guilt in Dick's heart never truly went away, something that happened a lot in this line of work. "None of that is on you."

Dick's facial expression turned angry, then the boy began to pace, emotions on borderline hysterics, something that tore at his heart to see, but Bruce steeled himself, remaining calm. "I killed a kid, Bruce! A fucking _kid_! How's that not my fault!?"

Bruce straightened his back and inhaled a breathe. "Because you _didn't_ stab Jericho that day, Slade did."

Dick paced back and forth in the room, running his hand through his hair and pulling. "But if I _hadn't_ brought him to the tower, if I hadn't used him to get to Slade, if I hadn't followed him to the church in the first place, he'd still be alive." His boy was on the verge of hysterics, a full mental breakdown because of the guilt he felt, the emotions that was eating away at his heart and soul. Like Dick was falling faster the his parents had that day at the Circus. Bruce wouldn't let him fall, wouldn't let either of his boys fall. But now that Dick was talking, he couldn't stop. "But it _did_, and it's _all_ on me. My fault, no one else's. My fault Slade's after my team, my fault Jason almost fucking died, my fault he's traumatized. My fault that everyone distrusts me— all of that is on me." Dick's voice cracked at the end, his voice hitched in his throat, eyes glazed over with tears. "How am I suppose to move on from that? All this guilt?"

Not being able to take it anymore, Bruce stepped forward. Gently, he reached his hand out, grasped the back of Dick's neck and pulled him, angled the younger man's face into the croak of his shoulder and held on him there. "_Shh_..." He soothed, doing the same motions with his eldest as he had with Jason. "Shhh, chum. That's enough, I got you— I'm sorry it took me so long to catch you. I should have been better."

It took a gentle hand carding through his son's hair before Dick finally shatters completely. Despite being a man in his 20s, Dick clung to him as though he was 10 years old again, clung to Bruce like his life and sanity depended on it. Before Dick's legs could give way, like he knew they would, Bruce sat them down on the couch. "_Bruce_...!" Dick's voice was muffled against Bruce's coat, shoulders trembling. "_Fuck—!_ I can't... _Dad_."

Pressing his cheek against Dick's temple, "I know, son. _I know_. I got you, I'm here. And I'll do whatever I can to help. You and Jason both."

A full body shudder wrecked through Dick's body, and he clung to Bruce harder, his fingers digging into the older man's coat, a sob escaping his lips. "I'm sorry, for all of it. I'm so fucking sorry, I never should have blamed you for everything. I meant what I said before, you were only doing what you knew and I took it all out on you."

Bruce closed his eyes, a lump formed in his throat that was impossible to swallow. Placing a chaste kiss against his boy's temple, and squeezed him tightly. "I know." He felt his eyes sting with tears threatening to form, but he kept them at bay, because right now Dick needed him to be strong, it would do them no good for both of them to fall apart. "I know, I'm sorry too. But you had every right to have been angry. I should have done more, tried harder to quell the rage you had in your heart, instead I think I only added to it."

Bruce felt Dick shake his head against his shoulder. "You did the best you could, I should have tried harder, tried _sooner_ to understand you. Instead of letting this wall come between us."

Chuckling, he rubbed small measured circles on Dick's back. "Well remember what I taught you about wall vaulting. It's never too late to jump, to make that climb and leap." This was his chance, whereas before he had just been treading the waters, but now this was Bruce offering out his hand for Dick to take, a chance to fix things no matter how slow they had to take it, or how much they had to leap to get over those walls.

And Bruce's heart filled with warmth, when Dick did. "Bruce?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you."

”Anytime, chum.”

They fell into a comfortable silence after that, both of them leaning back on the couch, still holding one another closely. Until Dick broke the silence. "So that girl I told you about, the one with the eye patch?"

"You mean the one who jumped out of the trunk and got dragged inside by Hank?"

"Yeah her— um... She's Slade daughter."

Bruce blinked several times, "You brought Deathstroke's daughter to my home, where the Batcave is six feet under our feet?"

"..._Yesss_?"

The Dark Knight chuckled, "Okay."

"You're not mad?"

He shook his head, "You said she needs help, right?"

Slowly, Dick nodded his head once. "Well we _all_ do, but yeah. She needs help."

"Then I trust you. Always have."

They talked for a few more minutes before Dick's eyes started to droop shut, and a yawn escaped his lips. "Why don't you get some sleep, in the morning we can figure out what your next move will be." Dick looked like he was getting ready to argue when Bruce added, "I won't go anywhere." Knowing and remembering the times before where Dick's emotions had overwhelmed him to a hysteric degree, the nightmares would soon follow. "Rest, chum." Dick settled down in the couch, the back of his head pressed against Bruce's arm and within a few seconds he was fast asleep.

The room grew quite once more, and Bruce turned his head back to the fireplace, where his parents portrait still proudly stood. He hoped that despite his mistakes and miscalculations with his life style and those of Dick and Jason, that his parents were proud of him. Just then, he heard a rustling outside the door. He didn't even have to look to know it was Jason. "If I recall correctly, I think I said that you should get some sleep, or maybe that’s me going senile."

A small huff of laughter was heard on the other side of the door as it was pushed open to reveal his second son, standing there looking still so exhausted and fragile. Then Bruce remembered Dick's words when he had been ranting. Apparently, Jason had not only been kidnapped but also had almost died by Slade's hands, and he had no idea. Bruce made another mental note to suggest to punch Deathstroke in the face when everything as over and done with. "I know I call you _old_ a lot, but c'mon Bruce. You're not that fucking old."

Bruce hummed, deep in his chest. "Maybe not, but you should still be in bed."

"Don't wanna."

"Why not?"

Jason's eyes moved to the window which had been drawn closed by the curtains. "Have you— Have you ever laid down in bed and felt yourself falling?" Bruce blinked, confused by such a specific question but nodded regardless. "Well imagine that, but then imagine it happening all the fucking time whenever you looked out a window, and all you felt was the wind blowing past you and your heart drooping to your stomach because you _knew_ you were about to die but there was nothing you could do about. And you had so many regrets that you could never tell because you'd be dead soon."

"Slade dropped you off a building."

It wasn't a question.

Jason let out a hollow laugh, voice still so raw and hoarse. "He did so much fucking _more_ then that."

Unwrapping one of his arms from Dick, he extended out to Jason. "C'mere, son." Jason hesitated for three whole seconds before he _ran_ a crossed the room and sank into Bruce's side.

"I almost _died_, Bruce. Then everyone else started blaming _me_ for things I didn't do and it was all too much and I almost— I almost..." _Killed myself_, was the unspoken line Jason didn't want to finish. Bruce's heart pinged in his chest, knowing that Deathstroke was able to reduced his stubborn, rebellious fighter to this state made him want to punch the bastard even more.

"But you _didn't_." He said, his voice above a whisper, he felt like he was saying that more to himself then to Jason as he squeezed the boy to him, validating that the new Robin was, in fact, real. "You're here, right now and alive."

"Only because Dick stopped me. He told me what happened, what happened to Slade's son. I think he did it on purpose, to piss me off so I wouldn't jump. So I'd have something to feel other then just pain." Bruce contemplated telling Jason the entire story, he didn't want Jason to think his older brother actually killed someone, let alone a kid, but he knew that right now, that's now what Jason needed. Right now, he needed comfort, stability. "I'm scared— _Bruce_?" Jason's finger nails dug into Bruce's shirt underneath his jacket. "I'm fucking _scared_. No matter what I do, I keep falling. It won't stop. I don't want to keep falling."

Heart aching yet again, Bruce simply brought Jason a little closer and pressed the side of the boy's head to his shoulder. "Shh, shh, I know. But you _won_'_t_, you aren't, I promise. You won't ever fall again."

Jason sniffed, "Dick said the same thing."

"And he's right, we won't let you fall anymore."

"Damn straight."

They both looked over and saw Dick, still very much exhausted but awake nonetheless. "Hey Jay, you doin' okay?" The eldest reach out and cared his hand through the kid's hair, and after a second of hesitation, Jason leaned into it. "And don't lie, cause it's bullshit."

"Fuck off, bro." Jason teased with a shy smile

"_Language_, Bird Boy."

"Boys."

Dick chuckled, Jason following soon after.

"I feel like the worst possible shit there is, but..." Jason paused, thinking. "But I'll be okay, right?"

Bruce nodded. "You will." He concluded, "You _both_ will. That's what I'm here for."

And as the three of them sat there in front of the fireplace, under the watchful eye of Thomas and Martha Wayne's portrait, as he watched Dick and Jason finally fall into a deep sleep within the protection of their father’s hold on them. Bruce made a silent vow, that he was gonna do his damnedest to make sure that he succeeded in helping them, because he finally felt content in his life, he wasn't going to let Slade take that away from him. He hadn't been there for his kids because he was afraid of pushing them away with how intense he could be, and the mistakes he's made but now he would.

Now he would be there for them.

**Author's Note:**

> I went into this thinking it was gonna be a short one-shot but it came out longer then I intended because I cant help but write DaddyBats, and of course I had to throw in some Batbros in there at the end, it just made sense. I tried very hard to stick with how Bruce acts and how he sounds in the show as much as I could but also put in my own personal style of how I've written for him over the years, because I thought it would flow nicely. And I feel like I've gotten a good blend of the two at least.
> 
> Anywoo, thoughts? Feedback is always welcome and appreciated in comments down below, if anyone has the time, and I'll see you all laters.


End file.
